The Comfort of a Master
by death-in-the-orchard
Summary: During Abraham Van Hellsing's time, a moment of comfort for Alucard and his master.


Warmth and heat and life that had before escaped the dead, cold creature emanated from the sheets and blankets around him, owing its heat to the man that lay with them, a book in one hand while the other lay propped up on the cool head of his slave.

Before his capture, the Count had lived in a world of ice, as if living on the bank of the river of death. Nothing had guided his will before now. He had done as he pleased but received little sense of purpose or accomplishment besides the animalistic drive and pleasure of a hunt in progress and in the completion of that hunt. The castle had been maintained only by presence and the accumulation of three fledglings that had been kept and fed in order to be able to humor the Count's tendencies to long for contact with another form.

Now, however, this man that petted his hair softly with absent thoughts, had given him a purpose. Though, it had been at the cost of his freedom, at the moment the beast was not affected by his captivity. Warmth and comfort lay around him and he lay amongst all of it, his master, this human that so delighted the vampire's senses and satisfied his yearning for contact, forbidding loneliness. With a reverberating purr in his chest that crept up his throat to flow from the creature and into the man; the vampire that was now called Alucard, let himself lie limp and content, his face against his master's chest.

With time, the demon's head lifted, like a dog or other animal, watching the wall where the human eye could reveal nothing of importance or change. Crimson eyes, like the color of a deep pool of fresh, un-clotting blood, examined the space across the room, seeing what the calm blue eyes that slipped away from the pages of the book, could not. Abraham gazed easily upon the area of interest, glancing at his vampire when the expanse of time drew out. Finally a sort of smile rode his lips, traveling to cover more of his face when Alucard tired of watching the wall and let his head fall again to rest on his master's chest. Hellsing permitted the beast another moment to reach optimal comfort before he spoke, retaining the light smile.

"What was it?"

With the answer to the question of what it is that beasts sometimes see, dangling before him, the moment took on more suspense than needed, though any edge that was sometimes supplied to moments like these, was dulled by the heat of the bed and counterbalancing coolness from the vampire. Alucard let his eyes remain closed, as he had come to enjoy the façade of sleep he had thrown over himself, though he still roused himself enough to answer.

"I heard a sound. There was a mouse in the wall, dying or finding its nest, I do not know. But now it is still and I do not hear it as well."

Abraham's smile slowly descended into a frown and his eyes traveled back to the wall as if to see the furry rodent as well. His eyes remained on the flat surface for some time, thoughts passing through the man's mind. "They are like flees drawn to a body to leech off nourishment, flocking to houses and institutions… The pests come to my house to steal my food."

The beast hummed with the man's reasoning, thinking of the likeness rodents had to flees and parasites. "Would you like for me to tear out the wall and get rid of it?"

There was a quiet pause that politely supplied Alucard's suggestion with the appropriate amount of hesitation and doubt. "In _what _way would that be _constructive_? You don't flay the dog to get rid of the flees. You just wash it."

"It was only a suggestion, Master."

Abraham frowned and then returned his eyes to his book, flipping through a few pages to find the one he had last read. "Don't destroy my house." Blue eyes scanned sentences while the hand stroked Alucard's hair gently.

The vampire purred in response, pressing closer to the man amidst his nest of comfort. Some time passed and Abraham turned a page.

"Would you want me to _wash _your wall_?"_

The man closed his eyes with a sigh that lifted Alucard's head and then lowered it as the human's chest filled and then deflated. "No, thank you."

Pleased with himself, the monster chuckled, obscuring the sound of his master's soft snort of humor. The warm hand mussed the vampire's hair, but Alucard was indifferent to this action and so the beast nestled closer to the man, his throat purring with pleasure.


End file.
